Outdoor Gardening: The Heebie Jeebies

When my husband and I talk about welcoming insect life into our garden we are usually thinking of something like this:

Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) and Buddleia davidii cv.

We are also open to seeing something like this:

Rudbeckia hirta 'Prairie Sun' with unidentified spider. (Yes, I know that spiders aren't insects. Bear with me here.)

What we definitely didn't have in mind is this:

Bald-faced hornet (Dolichovespula maculata) nest hidden in our Weigela florida 'Red Prince' shrub row. If you enlarge the picture, you can see a few actual hornets. I do not necessarily recommend this.

The thing was the size of a soccer ball, and shall we say, buzzing with activity. What frightens me is that last week, before we noticed the nest, I was weeding nearby. At one point I nearly lost my balance when pulling up a particularly recalcitrant thistle. Had I actually fallen backward, there is a good chance I would have fallen into the nest. I'll let you know when I stop shuddering.

Needless to say, we called professionals to have the nest removed.

The Good, The Bad, and The Birthday Present

Somewhat surprisingly, summer is proving to be almost as quiet a season for houseplants as winter. There is a fair amount of growth going on, I suppose, but nothing to write home (or in a blog) about. My repotting is done, nothing needs pruning, nothing much is blooming. It seems that to a large degree, spring and autumn are where the indoor plant action is.

Nonetheless, I have had a couple of things happen recently that pleased me, a couple of things that have me dismayed, and a birthday present that will wind up doing one or the other. I'm not sure yet.

The Good

My Aglaonema 'Siam Aurora' is putting out new growth, not just from the existing crowns, but from the roots and stems. The pink shoot in the center is easily seen, but the bumpy areas on the stem to its left are also developing shoots.

Previously posted picture of the whole plant.

This unidentified Euphorbia is sprouting leaves for the first time in the three or four years that I've owned it. It has flowered regularly in the past, however. I didn't even like this plant at first--I only own it because it was part of a dish garden along with plants that I did want. It has won me over though.

A picture of the same Euphorbia showing more of the plant.

The Bad

Even though I took care to introduce it to sun gradually, my Echeveria purposorum has developed an unsightly case of sunburn. I should have trusted my instincts, and left it indoors with the Haworthias it so resembles.

This is what my Aloe variegata looked like this past winter:

Previously posted picture of Aloe variegata

I pruned out the center plant in the clump late this spring, because the stem was weak, and would have broken off without support. (It is actually propped up against the door in the picture.) It is now rooting in a pot on my porch. The rest of the offsets were doing fine out in the sunshine until this week. Monday, after some heavy rain over the weekend, I was examining the outdoor succulents, and noticed that several of this plant's offsets were rotting. This surprised me, because this was this plant's seventh summer outdoors, completely exposed to the elements, and at least two of those summers were far, far rainier than this one has been. I'm wondering if pruning "Mom" away without removing the base of her stem introduced rot to the pot.

Seven offsets. I've pruned away all traces of rot, (though I think that small one on the far left might need another look) and now that cut ends are calloused over, I will pot each of them, and hope they root. (I've had luck rooting stem cuttings of Aloe ramoisissima, and Aloe ciliaris before.)

The Birthday Present

My stepson bought me a Bonsai:

Juniperus procumbens 'Nana'

I know absolutely nothing about Bonsai culture. But I do know that this plant was purchased a decent nursery, is planted in fairly high quality bonsai medium, including bark and Turface, and is wired in place in its pot. So it is a plant of some quality, and not a so called "mall-sai." I hope I can learn its needs and keep my reputation as the Crazy Plant lady intact. I've got some work to do.

Leftovers

Well, it's the weekend. It's hot, it's been stormy, and I can't think of a thing to write about. When I plan posts, I usually take a lot of photographs to go along with them, and I seldom use them all. Sometimes, an old photograph will prove useful for a later post, but most of the time they go unseen. Which is too bad, because some of them are pretty nice.

So without further ado, here are some pictures I took for posts in June and July that ended up unused.

Houseplants and Succulents:

By mid-June, my Neoregelia 'Zoe' which had been mostly green and white, was definitely showing a nice rosy blush

Peach and Red Hibiscus rosa-sinensis in bloom

Three shots of my succulents outdoors. The large Aloe in the third picture is supposed to be Aloe vera, but I'm not 100% sure. I do love how it colors up in the sun.

Adeniums. I think the one on the left is A. obesum and the one to the right is A. arabicum.

More uncertainty. I've always thought that this was Aloe dichotoma, but I am open to the possibility that it may be A. ramosissima.

Three pots of Crassula 'Campfire'

From my Outdoor Garden:

Linum lewisii (Flax) in June. I am completely smitten with that ever-so-rare shade of blue. It is still blooming intermittantly now, but its peak is over.

Coreopsis verticillata. I think this cultivar is 'Zagreb'

Rubeckias and Echinaceas in my Coneflower bed

Another view, showing most of the bed

Last but never least, (if you ask him, he's the Most) Peppermint enjoying the garden.

In Praise of Succulents: Kalanchoe/Bryophyllum Edition

What can I say about the related genera Kalanchoe and Bryophyllum that I haven't already said about succulents in general? They are attractive, easy to care for, and come in a variety of shapes, colors and forms. These plants will put up with less-than-ideal indoor lighting better, than say, Echeveria. They seem equally happy under fluorescent lights, or in my south window during their winter indoors. Their only downside is a tendency to drop leaves and get leggy over time, which is not uncommon among succulents. A leggy Kalanchoe tends to look like a peculiar palm tree, with a notched stem and a small crown of leaves up top. Even that has a simple remedy: Take cuttings and start anew. The cuttings root quickly, and the stumps that are left behind will usually sprout new growth.

On the downside, they are quicker to sunburn than some other plants. They are also not the best plants if you want consistent flowering indoors (except of course for the ubiquitous Kalanchoe blossefeldiana.) I have, however, been treated to Bryophyllum flowers now and again.

Here is a selection of most of the plants of this group that I'm growing at the present:

Two Kalanchoe beharensis flank a Kalanchoe orgyalis. The plant on the left sprouted from the stumps left behind when I took the cuttings that resulted in the plant on the right. More detail can be seen if this photo is clicked for the larger version.

Closer view of K. orgyalis. I do find this a bit more difficult to grow than my other Kalanchoes, but I keep trying because those coppery leaves are worth it.

Rooted K. orgyalis cuttings in a 2.5 inch pot

K. beharensis 'Napoleon's Hat' This was one of those with a small crown of leaves on a tall stem, so I cut it back about three weeks ago. It has already rooted.

Kalanchoe tomentosa varieties. I believe that might be K. tomentosa 'Chocolate Soldier' on the right.

Kalanchoe luciae

Two different pots of Kalanchoe beharensis 'Nudum.' This one has also been a bit difficult for me. I started out with a couple of large cuttings in 2005, which was slow to root, and then never flourished. But I was able to salvage some leaves, which produced the two smallish plants seen here.

Kalanchoe millotii

NoId Bryophyllum variety

Bryophyllum tubiflorum, one of the Mother-of-Thousands species. You can see the plantlets on the leaf tips, ready to drop and cause mayhem. I really don't mind having these pop up in my other plants from time to time, but I can see how they can cause problems for other growers, and become invasive in the wild.

A petite Bryophyllum NoId. Another eager propagator.

Here are some Kalanchoe pictures from the Chicago Botanic Garden from this year and last. They seem to be favorites in the Sensory Garden outdoors, where plants with different textures are often featured.

Kalanchoe beharensis 'Fang' from this year. The little protrusions on the bottoms of the leaves, which give this variety its name, can be seen in the larger view.

Also from this year, in the greenhouse. This is identified only as Kalanchoe beharensis cvv.

Same variety, outdoor in the Sensory Garden last year. Though it looks smooth, it actually has a velvety texture. Though, to speak in fabric terms, the "nap" isn't as thick as the Kalanchoe beharensis varieties that I grow.

Previously posted picture of Kalanchoe thrysiflora, from last year's Sensory Garden.

A Place in the Sun

This weekend, I finally managed to get all of my succulents moved outside. It's only taken two whole months. Everything that I think will benefit from being in my full-sun backyard is out there now. My Euphorbias (except for E. milii) and my species Sansevierias remain on the morning-sun-only front porch. For one thing, I like having a few succulents there, for another, my Euphorbia lactea plants seem to sunburn easily. And the Sans seem perfectly content, though a couple of them may get a taste of the backyard life before the summer is over. Anyway, here is roughly 90% of my succulent collection, enjoying their place in the sun. This set of four photos are all much better when clicked for a larger view.

Starting from the left of my back door: A picnic table full of plants

Moving right, a table made for me by my husband, and a wire rack, both full. If you look closely at the door you can see Luke and Peppermint hoping for a chance to come outside. (Yes, I gave in.)

Farthest to the right, a mini-baker's rack, and a few extra plants on the stoop.

And out in the middle of the yard, another picnic table. This contains both plants and empty terracotta pots, since I've been using it as a potting bench.

I'll be posting more on some of the plants in the pictures during the coming week.

All in the Family: Asclepiads

Actually, that should be "All in the Sub-family: Asclepiadoideae." The old family name, Asclepiadaceae, is supposedly obsolete. These plants are now included in the family Apocynaceae, which contains so many different plants that the point I'm trying to make would be lost.

The point? Yes, I was actually going to make one before I got sidetracked into taxonomy. Recently, I was struck by just how much the bloom and bloom habit of the common milkweed, (Asclepias syriaca) resemble those of my Hoya Carnosa.

Pictures of Asclepias syriaca taken, in a park in Skokie, IL. This native plant pops up as a volunteer "weed" in my garden. I let a few of them grow, to encourage Monarch butterflies, but it never blooms for me.

A flower from my Hoya carnosa 'Krimson Queen'

Though I'm not a Hoya collector, (no, really, just because I have nine of them doesn't make me a collector, honest) I'd always wanted a Hoya multiflora because the blooms were so different.

Two views of my Hoya multiflora, sometimes called the Shooting Star Hoya

But then, on a visit to the Chicago Botanic Gardens, I realized that the blooms are similar to those of Asclepias curassavica, and not dissimilar to those of Asclepias tuberosa and Asclepias incarnata.

Asclepias curassavica at the CBG. A. curassavica and its varieties are only hardy to zone 8b, but are sometimes grown as "annuals" around here. I keep meaning to try some, since I think they are lovely.

Asclepias curassavica 'Silky Gold' and some little visitors.

Asclepias tuberosa, or butterfly weed. This is my second favorite of the flowers that I grow in my garden. This is the oldest of five I have planted, and I have three more in pots waiting for me to decide where to put them. This too is a native plant that grows wild in the area, as well as being cultivated as a garden plant.

Another view showing the shape of the flowers better

Asclepias incarnata, or Swamp milkweed, another native plant. These pictures are from the CBG. I just planted a pair of these plants in my garden, but they are unlikely to bloom there this year.

Okay, so maybe there really wasn't much of a point after all. I just wanted to share some pictures of what is fast becoming one of my favorite plant (sub)families, indoors and out. When my small Stapelia hirsuta and Huernia zebrina (also members of Asclepiadoideae) become mature enough to bloom, I'm sure I'll have yet another perspective on this group.